124: Acquisition

Su Jixing was getting angry just listening. If it weren't for his own manners, Chen Ting really wanted to spit right in Meng Wei's face.

He was now very certain that Xiangwan Entertainment had a premeditated plan against Black Pearl, and they were the ones who caused their current situation.

It seemed they had set their sights on his company long ago.

"I didn't know Black Pearl had anything that President Meng would be so fixated on."

"However, I'm afraid I must disappoint President Meng; I have no intention of selling Black Pearl."

Meng Wei sat opposite Chen Ting, completely unfazed by his words. He was determined to acquire Black Pearl Entertainment and believed Chen Ting was just being stubborn for now.

"President Chen, there's no need to be in such a hurry to refuse. Why not hear my conditions first?"

"If you agree to let Xiangwan Entertainment acquire Black Pearl Entertainment, we'll not only help you clear Black Pearl Entertainment's current debts and get it running again, but I can also let you stay as an artist."

"Xiangwan Entertainment can also provide you with high-quality resources."

This time, not just Chen Ting, but even Su Jixing was so damn angry he almost laughed.

Meng Wei looked pitying, but in reality, he was trying to get something for nothing.

Chen Ting had been in the industry for years; he wasn't lacking resources.

Meng Wei said he'd let Chen Ting stay at Black Pearl, but how could being the boss be the same as being an employee? One has people working for him, while the other works for someone else.

He'd heard before that Xiangwan Entertainment's contracts for new singers and artists were very predatory, but he hadn't expected them to use such tactics on Chen Ting.

This behavior of treating people like fools finally made Chen Ting lose his temper; he stood up abruptly.

"I said, I will not sell the company."

"You should give up on that idea."

"If President Meng has nothing else, you may leave. Black Pearl Entertainment doesn't exactly welcome you."

Chen Ting directly asked Meng Wei to leave; it was the first time Meng Wei had been so blatantly driven out.

Meng Wei's smile faded, replaced by a look of disdain for Chen Ting's lack of appreciation.

"It's good for President Chen to have backbone, but backbone won't put food on the table."

"If you could talk to me properly now, I could still give you good terms, but it seems President Chen doesn't want to talk properly."

"In that case, I won't force you. But I'm warning President Chen: the price we're talking about today is for today. It won't be the same price tomorrow."

Su Jixing couldn't listen anymore. He stood up and pulled open the office door. He felt that if Meng Wei stayed any longer, Chen Ting might not be able to stop himself from rushing over and punching him.

Meng Wei snorted coldly and then left without a care in the world.

After he left, Chen Ting slowly calmed down. There had been a lot of turmoil in Black Pearl Entertainment over the past two days. Normally, if only one or two people resigned, the company could operate normally by redistributing their work.

But this time was different. Many positions suddenly requested to leave; they didn't even want this month's salary and didn't do any handovers at all.

Su Jixing had been helping handle artist contracts for the past two days and didn't know much about the company's financial issues.

Seeing Chen Ting's appearance today, Su Jixing had a bad premonition, so he asked Chen Ting:

"Are the company's financial problems very serious?"

Chen Ting nodded helplessly:

"Not only serious, but a mess, because the finance staff were also poached!"

Su Jixing: "..."

Meng Wei and his people were indeed ruthless, specifically cutting the company's main artery.

"If the company's cash flow is tight, I have some money on hand. I can lend it to you."

Chen Ting shook his head. He knew Su Jixing liked financial management and investment and probably had tens of millions, but this money was just a drop in the bucket for Black Pearl's current situation, and it might even cause his brother's money to go down the drain.

Chen Ting and Su Jixing were very close, so he didn't hide it from him.

"The company advanced funds for many projects that have already started, and now they've all stopped."

Su Jixing asked in confusion:

"We have signed contracts for these projects. Although the money was advanced, we can get it back once the projects are completed."

In this regard, Su Jixing didn't think as far as Chen Ting.

Since Meng Wei wanted to acquire Black Pearl Entertainment, he must have already greeted those people.

"The company now needs a large amount of money for turnover. Although we signed contracts with those companies, as long as they don't pay, the company's troubles won't be resolved. If they don't pay and Black Pearl Entertainment's projects aren't completed, they are in breach of contract first, and Black Pearl can file a lawsuit. The key is that Black Pearl Entertainment can't afford to wait."

"Looking at Black Pearl Entertainment's current situation, if the problem isn't solved, the company will be finished in less than a month."

This was just today's situation; Meng Wei definitely had more tricks up his sleeve.

Sure enough, Chen Ting's suspicion was correct; Meng Wei had pulled away the projects Black Pearl Entertainment was currently negotiating.

Throughout the afternoon, more people resigned from the company one after another.

For the first time, Chen Ting felt what it was like for his mentality to collapse!

Busy all day, Chen Ting hadn't eaten a bite, and he couldn't swallow anything anyway.

Su Jixing went to help with outside matters. Chen Ting looked at the reports in his hand—various applications for funds, documents requiring repayment, lawyer's letters, and resignation letters submitted by subordinates. He had never felt such panic and anxiety.

It was because his life had been too smooth sailing before.

Chen Ting kept thinking about how to get Black Pearl Entertainment through the current crisis, but after thinking for a long time, he had no clue.

He tried calling some investors, but these people had already been tipped off by Meng Wei, so they didn't answer Chen Ting's calls at all.

Among those who came to request contract termination in the afternoon, there was one unexpected person.

Li Ruixi, an artist the company had trained for two years.

The first time he saw him was during a company team-building dinner; Li Ruixi happened to be a waiter at that restaurant.

Li Ruixi hadn't gotten into college; his basic qualifications were substandard.

Of course, his situation couldn't be compared to Lu Qingyu's. First, Lu Qingyu didn't fail to get into college, he just didn't have the chance to take the exam. Second, Qingyu had demonstrated his abilities to Su Jixing.

At that time, Li Ruixi could neither sing nor act, but the young man was quite good-looking and had a good image.

And it wasn't the company that actively sought him out; instead, after learning that the people coming for team building were from an entertainment company and Chen Ting was their boss, Li Ruixi took the initiative to beg Chen Ting after the meal to let him join the company as a Trainee.

At that time, Li Ruixi's eyes were bright, and the young man had a lot of drive. An Agent in the company, seeing that he was about the same age as her own son, felt a bit of compassion.

So she suggested that Chen Ting could try training him. Since the company was training so many people anyway, one more wouldn't hurt. Only then did Chen Ting agree.

Over the past two years, Li Ruixi had indeed worked very hard, and the company had originally planned to launch him next quarter. He hadn't expected him to come and terminate his contract at this time.

Black Pearl Entertainment's contracts weren't as strict as those of other companies. Other companies' termination fees were a hundredfold or a thousandfold payout; in short, to prevent you from terminating, they would write a price in the contract that made you feel you couldn't afford it even if you sold yourself.

But Black Pearl's penalty for breach of contract was a fivefold payout.

When Chen Ting first entered the industry, he joined a shady company and suffered greatly from being exploited. So after starting his own company, he thought he must treat artists well.

However, this was the first time he felt empathy for the company that had exploited him before.

It seemed that one really couldn't be too kind!